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The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development concluded its twentieth session on the evening of 12 May with countries reaffirming its role as the United Nations torch-bearer for science, technology and innovation for development.

A new report from UNCTAD finds that the Islamic Republic of Iran has greatly improved its science, technology and innovation capacity over the past decade. However, policy action can further improve the country's ability to harness the full potential of STI as an instrument to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Scientific and technological progress is an essential means to eradicate poverty and create a better world for all. We should not see it as an existential threat," said Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi Secretary-General of UNCTAD about the opening of the twentieth session of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), the premier platform of the UN system that tackles science and technology questions and their implications for development.

The tide of misery brought on by epidemics in developing countries could be stemmed if health services were able to predict outbreaks. Dhesi Baha Raja, a co-founder of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Epidemiology, thinks the power of machine learning can be used to increase outbreak prediction - and that multilateral forums like the Committee for Science and Technology for Development, convened by UNCTAD on January 23-27, can help spread the technology.

In the face of climate change, many developing countries need better technology to help them predict crop yields to ensure secure sources of food. The Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth offers a solution with "wall-to-wall" measurements of agronomic and climatic conditions - all made available through its CropWatch web service. The scientist who runs it, Bingfang Wu, visited the UN's Commission on Science and Technology for Development, convened by UNCTAD in Geneva, Switzerland on 23-25 January, to discuss what the service has to offer.